Here's Where Ahsoka Season 1 Officially Falls On The Mandalorian Timeline
In the lead-up to the premiere of "The Mandalorian" in 2019, nobody really knew what to expect from the first-ever live-action "Star Wars" series. It wasn't until the appearance of a certain small, pointy-eared, green-skinned individual at the end of the first episode that season 1's "Lone Wolf and Cub"-styled plot came into focus. When the series returned for season 2, however, it quickly became apparent that showrunner Jon Favreau and executive producer Dave Filoni had much bigger plans than a story about a violent loner turned bumbling father (Din Djarin) trying to care for his mischievous adopted son (Din Grogu).
In fact, it's since become clear the tale of Din Djarin was but a stepping stool for a much larger saga about the New Republic's struggles to secure a foothold following the defeat of the Galactic Empire. The show's first spinoff, "The Book of Boba Fett," saw the titular bounty hunter making moves to fill the power vacuum left by the late crime lord Jabba the Hutt on Tatooine, ultimately roping Din into his cockamamie schemes and, in doing so, reuniting our beloved tin can himbo with Grogu. Then, when "The Mandalorian" returned for its third season, there were times when it felt like Din and Grogu were supporting characters in their own show, with Bo-Katan Kryze's quest to reclaim her home world of Mandalore and protect it from the lingering Imperial forces taking up much of the spotlight.
But what of Ahsoka Tano? Anakin Skywalker's former Padawan made her live-action debut in "The Mandalorian" season 2 and popped up on "The Book of Boba Fett," but was conspicuously absent from the former's third season. As it turns out, the upcoming "Ahoska" will reveal exactly what the not-a-Jedi was up to while all that hullabaloo was going down on Mandalore.
The middle of a trilogy
"Ahsoka," which sees Filoni operating as both head writer and executive producer, follows its namesake (Rosario Dawson) as she continues her search for Grand Admiral Thrawn (Lars Mikkelsen) from "The Mandalorian." Along the way, our girl meets back up with several members of the Spectres, aka the Lothal-based Rebel faction she fought alongside during "Star Wars Rebels." That includes Sabine Wren (Natasha Liu Bordizzo), herself a Mandalorian who, it seems, spent some time training in the ways of the Force under Ahsoka's tutelage since the last time we saw her on "Rebels."
"I think it's hard not to feel part of something bigger," Bordizzo told SFX Magazine. "'Ahsoka' runs along the same timeline as 'The Mandalorian' season 3, and the shows are all connected. There's just so many parallels."
As /Film's Rafael Motamayor has pointed out, "Ahsoka" is basically acting as the second entry in a trilogy, sandwiched between "Rebels" and an as-yet-untitled movie directed by Filoni that will tie together the various narrative threads from "The Mandalorian" and its spinoffs. Based on Bordizzo's comment about the shows' "parallels," "Ahsoka" will also see the remaining Imperials quietly regrouping under Thrawn's supervision while undermining the New Republic's attempts to bring stability to the "Star Wars" universe, much like "The Mandalorian" season 3 did. Throw in Ahsoka being haunted by the memories of what happened to her own Jedi mentor and you've got a recipe for what could be a darker and even more emotionally complex story than "Rebels."
Then again, isn't that always the case with the second chapters in "Star Wars" trilogies? Indeed, if history is anything to go by, "Ahsoka" may end up being one of the strongest additions to the Mando-verse saga yet. Fingers crossed, as always!
"Ahsoka" premieres August 23, 2023, on Disney+.